DNEG

DNEG (formerly known as Double Negative and stylized as D N E G) is a British-Indian visual effects, computer animation and stereo conversion studio that was founded in 1998 in London, and rebranded as DNEG in 2014 after a merger with Indian VFX company Prime Focus; it was named after the letters "D" and "Neg" from their former name.

The company has received seven Academy Awards for its work on the films Inception, Interstellar, Ex Machina, Blade Runner 2049, First Man, Tenet and Dune. In addition, DNEG has received BAFTA awards for Inception, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2, Interstellar, Blade Runner 2049, Tenet, Dune and Black Mirror's "Metalhead", and Visual Effects Society awards for its work on films such as The Dark Knight Rises, Sherlock Holmes, Inception, Interstellar, Dunkirk, Blade Runner 2049, Altered Carbon, First Man, Chernobyl, Last Night In Soho, Foundation and Dune. It has also received Primetime Emmy Awards for its work on Dreamkeeper, Chernobyl and season 3 of Star Trek: Discovery.

DNEG is headquartered in Fitzrovia, London with additional locations in Vancouver, Mumbai, Los Angeles, Chennai, Montréal, Mohali, Bangalore, Toronto, and Sydney.

History
Double Negative first opened its doors in 1998 in London. Founded by a small group of industry professionals, including Peter Chiang (Senior VFX Supervisor), Matt Holben (Joint MD), Alex Hope (Joint MD) and Paul Franklin (Senior VFX Supervisor),  it has grown from a small team to 8,000 members of staff worldwide.

Over the years, DNEG has worked on over 200 movies and developed working relationships with a number of leading directors. Its first project was Pitch Black, released in 2000. Since then, DNEG's work can be seen in recurring franchises like Harry Potter, Fantastic Beasts, the Marvel Cinematic Universe, James Bond, Jason Bourne, Fast and Furious, Mission: Impossible and the DC Extended Universe. DNEG has worked on award-winning projects such as Inception, Interstellar, Ex Machina, Dunkirk, Blade Runner 2049, Black Mirror – Metalhead, Altered Carbon, First Man, Chernobyl, Tenet, Star Trek: Discovery (Season 3), and Dune.

DNEG's visual effects work has been honored with seven Academy Awards, seven BAFTAs, eighteen Visual Effects Society Awards and three Primetime Emmy Awards.

Ownership
In July 2014, Indian visual effects company Prime Focus World merged with Double Negative; the merged company was rebranded as DNEG.

In August 2021, UK-based firm Novator Capital Advisors invested $250 million in Prime Focus Limited, DNEG's parent company. This deal boosted CEO and Prime Focus founder Namit Malhotra's stake in the parent to 70% from 35%, and as the owner of Novator, Icelandic billionaire Thor Björgólfsson received a 15% stake in DNEG.

On January 25, 2022, DNEG announced its entry into a definitive business combination agreement with Sports Ventures Acquisition Corp. (Nasdaq: AKIC). Subject to customary closing conditions, which were expected in the first half of 2022, the combined public company would be named DNEG. DNEG called off the merger and public listing in June 2022, with CEO Malhotra vowing to expand further.

International expansion
In 2009, Double Negative opened its Singapore office, and closed it in March 2016.

Following the 2014 merger with Prime Focus World, DNEG announced the upcoming opening of a Mumbai branch. Since 2014, DNEG has opened new facilities in Vancouver, Los Angeles, Chennai, Montréal, Mohali, Bangalore and Toronto.

In November 2022, DNEG announced plans to open a location in Sydney, Australia, where its VFX and animation divisions will work. The new studio was scheduled to open in 2023 in Pyrmont and would be headed by VFX supervisor Andrew Jackson. It lead the visual effects for George Miller's Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga.

Visual effects
DNEG started as a visual effects (VFX) studio specialised in VFX for feature films. Over the years its offering expanded to include VFX and animation for feature film and television, and stereo conversion.

In 2013 the company launched its Episodic VFX team dedicated to the creation of VFX for television, OTT and streaming providers and designed to allow content producers and networks access to DNEG's team and infrastructure for non-theatrical projects.

Animation
DNEG Animation (formerly known as DNEG Feature Animation) was founded in April 2014 as DNEG Feature Animation after DNEG formed a deal with Locksmith Animation, with Tom Jacomb leading the studio. It provides animation services alongside IP creators and filmmakers for both feature and episodic animated projects. A Queen's Guard soldier with a giant pencil sometimes alongside a short six-leg robot guard are the mascots of the studio. Its first project was the short film Mr. Spam Gets A New Hat, directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker William Joyce and released in 2021, which won 'Best Animation' at 2021 New York Shorts International Film Festival, 'Best Animated Short' at Cleveland International Film Festival, 'Best Animation' at LA Shorts Festival, 'Best Animated Short' at Cordillera International Film Festival and 'Best 3D Narrative Short' at SPARK ANIMATION 2021. Its first feature film was Ron's Gone Wrong, co-produced with Locksmith Animation for 20th Century Studios, also released in 2021, which won for 'Best Longform' at the British Animation Awards (BAA). With the trailer release of Mr. Spam Gets A New Hat in October 2021, and by early 2022, the studio was renamed to DNEG Animation. The studio then worked on the Netflix television special Entergalactic, created by Scott “Kid Cudi” Mescudi and Kenya Barris and released in September 2022.

The studio's next feature film was Nimona, an adaptation of the webcomic of the same name by ND Stevenson for Netflix and Annapurna Pictures, released in June 2023; in the production of Nimona, DNEG would take over animation from Blue Sky Studios after the company was shut down by then-owner The Walt Disney Company before their production was completed. It was followed by Under the Boardwalk for Paramount Animation, which was released in October of that year. The Garfield Movie, for which DNEG is a producer alongside Alcon Entertainment for Sony Pictures, was released in May 2024.

Projects currently in production include That Christmas (2024), a co-production with Locksmith Animation for Netflix, an adaptation of The Cat in the Hat (2026) with Warner Bros. Pictures Animation, Bad Fairies (2027) with Locksmith Animation and WBPA, The Angry Birds Movie 3 with Rovio Entertainment and Sega Sammy Group, and an adaptation of The Great Gatsby.

ReDefine
DNEG ReDefine was launched in 2019 to provide creative visual effects and animation services both to expanding international markets and to filmmakers and streaming companies.

Stereo
DNEG Stereo (formerly known as Prime Focus World) was the first in the world to convert a full Hollywood film from 2-D to 3-D and has since become one of the largest stereo conversion companies in the motion picture industry.

Virtual Production
DNEG Virtual Production is a global, end-to-end virtual production service. It offers filmmakers and content creators access to a full range of real-time production services – from script breakdown, through development / pre-production, production and post-production, to final picture delivery. DNEG Virtual Production has delivered virtual production services for Andy Serkis' Venom: Let There Be Carnage, Keneth Branagh's Death on the Nile and David Leitch's Bullet Train.